George & Dragon

Once a scuzzy local pub, the George (as ye shall dub it if you value your Shoreditch High St cred) was taken over and decorated with the owner’s grandma’s antiques (antlers, racoon tails, old clocks), cardboard cut-outs of Cher and fairy lights, turning this one-room pub into what has remained the epicentre of the Hoxton scene for more than a decade. It’s one of the most exciting places to go out, with a great jukebox, though it tends to get packed out at the weekends. Some of the best DJ nights in London are on offer here, with cabaret performances taking place on window sills. It’s total fun and mindless hedonism. Definitely not a place for a quiet pint.